Waterproof expansion joint



Reissued Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A.CORPORATION OF OHIO PATENT OFFICE ALBERT C. FISCHER, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHILIP CAREY WATERPROOF EXPANSION JOINT HoDrawing.- Original No. 1,807,905, dated J'une 2, 1931, Serial No.700,734, filed March 20, 1924. Application for reissue filed June 19,1931. Serial No. 545,615.

This invention relates to a packing or filling material to be introducedbetween two opposed faces of a pavement, building, or other structurefor the purpose of maintaining a weathertight closure of the interveningspace at all times regardless of enlargement or reduction of the spaceconsequent upon the expansion and contraction of the materials whichcompose the structure; the material being employed either in the form ofa premolded filling slab to be introduced between the members of thestructure at the time they are formed or placed in position, or in bulkform to be rendered fluid by the application of heat and poured into theopening to be waterproofed after the members of the structure are inposition.

The object of the invention is to provide waterproofing joint material,or a oint member composed thereof, which will have the quality of highinherent compressibility as distinguished from mere ductility or flowingin one direction under displacement in a transverse direction; also highresiliency or capacity for returning to a dimension from which it iscompressedwhen relieved of pressure; and to develop these inherentqualities with materials that are readily available at relatively lowcost, and at least one of which is of recognized value as awaterproofing medium. 7

The invention proceeds upon the principle of introducing into abituminous or asphaltic, or like material of proper consistency, afiller consisting of a material which is compressible under the forcesto which the waterproofing joint will be subjected in use, and whichwill have sufiicient resiliency when relieved of such pressure to expandthe waterproofing material which envelops it, and thus not only yield tothe expansion of the structural members which defined the packed space,but keep said space filled when said members contract. A

An important feature of the invention consists in embedding the fillingmaterial within or surrounding it by the waterproofing material underconditions which prevent the filling material from being impregnated bythe waterproofing material to a degree that would solidify the fillingmaterial and destroy its compressibility, and thereby permit use ofvarious forms of cheap cellular or fibrous substances as the fillingmaterial; and this maybe accomplished, among other ways, by previouslycoating the filling material with a substance that will check the inflowof the waterproofing material for at least the relatively short timethat it is required to have the waterproofing material in fluid state,

or, by previously saturating or impregnating the filling material with afluid that will be largely or wholly dissipated under the heat of thewaterproofing material at the time of mixing, while at the same timeresisting penetration of the filling material by the waterproofingmate-rial. Or the waterproofmg material may be excluded from the fillingmaterial by a combination of the two methods named, to-wit: by coatingwith a substance that-will act as a barrier to the penetration of thewaterproofing material, and at the same time partially or whollysaturating or impregnating. with a fluid that will become dissipatedunder the heat of mixing. Moreover, the impregnation of the fillingmaterial for the purpose of resisting penetration and solidification ofthe same by the waterproofing material may be performed under conditionswhich will increase the dimensions of the filling material and render iteven more highly compressible and resilient, as, for instance, by usingwater or other vaporizable fluid to impregnate the filling materialprior to its mixing with the waterproofing material, and causing thisimpregnating fluid to expand under the heat of mixing and inflate orpufi' up the filling material as the vapor escapes. The vapor escapingfrom the filling material may even benefit-the waterproofing material bybeing trapped therein, causing the formation of cells or pockets.

In realizing the condition of both coating and impregnating the fillingmaterial as a barrier against penetration of the water- The fillingmaterial preferably used in car- 1.

rying out the invention is wood in shredded form, commercially known asexcelsior, or wood in the form of sawdust, or other form suflicientlysubdivided to render easy and certain the complete envelopment of thesubdivisions by the waterproofing material.

As a concrete example illustrative of the invention, take one hundredpounds of asphalt or other bituminous material that is approved by roadengineers as a sealing substance for joints between the separatelymolded slabs of paving material, heat the same to about 215 F., thenthoroughly mix therewith five pounds of commercial excelsior which haspreviously been soaked in water and thoroughly drained, or soaked in asolution of sodium silicate and permitted to dry until the sodiumsilicate has solidified upon the surface of the excelsior, andthoroughly mix the prepared excel'sior and the softened bituminousmaterial until the excelsior becomes thoroughly enveloped by thebituminous substance, and then introduce the resulting mixture intomoldslwhich form it into slabs corresponding to road specifications, andpermit the mixture to solidify in this form, when it will be ready forshipment and use. Slabs of paving joints thus produced may, forconvenience in handling and to avoid adhesion of individual slabs whenpacked for shipment, be faced'with paper or other sheets of fabric of anature which will of the filling material, and also, when a suificientlyhigh temperature is used in mixing, because of the steaming effect ofthe volatile impregnating fluid upon the filler. The slabs may beemployed, as is usual, in forming the divisional wall between slabs ofmolded pavement and will enter into water sealed relation to the opposedfaces of such slabs, and will maintain such relation and adhesionthereto notwithstanding expansion and contraction of the paving slabsunder changes in atmospheric temperature.

The material herein described is adapted for use in molding the joint insitu, or for patching cracks in paving material.

The filler may be mixed with the waterproofing material at a very muchlower temperature than that which vaporizes the impregnating liquid, andthe heat applied in fusing the packing compound at the time of pouringit into the space to be filled may be relied upon to vaporize thesaturant. Or, if a coating substance be used for the filling materialunder conditions which do not impregnate the filling material, so thatevaporation is not required, molded slabs of bituminous material withthe excelsior or other compressible filling material enveloped therein,may

be formed at any low temperature so long as it is suificient to permitmixing. Alternative mixing may be accomplished by applying thebituminous matter with a solvent that is permitted to pass ofi with orwithout recovery of the solvent in bringing the composite packingmaterial to solid form.

There is a form of asphalt known commercially, in which the asphalt isemulsified or homogenized with water so that it constitutes'in efi'ect awatery solution of asphalt which, when brought into contact with anabsorbent surface, gives up its water and leaves the asphalt thereafterimpervious to water. By using this compound of asphalt and water as asource of waterproofing substance, the fibrous filling materialand-waterproofing material can be mixed cold, and the highly absorbentnature of the fibrous material will draw from the water of the compoundthe necessary moisture for rendering it impervious to the asphalt aswell as causing it to swell and enlarge its volume; and if the quantityof water taken up in this way is substantially less than the absorbentcapacity of the fibrous material, it may or may not evaporation. Even ifit be permanently trapped in the fibrous material and should freezewhen" the packing is in use as a road expansion joint, the resultantexpansion would be a benefit rather than a detriment. Finally, packingmaterial composed of a waterproofing bituminous substance and a fillerrendered impervious to the waterproof- 3 ing substance by taking upwater from an aqueous compound of such waterproofing mabe driven offfrom the fibrous material by terial, when mixed cold with said aqueouscompound, can still be subjected to the evaporating and swellingtreatment under the '5 application of heat, for instance, by furnishingit in bulk and fusing it at the place of use preparatory to pouring itinto the spaces to be filled.

The waterproofing material which is preferably used in practicing theinvention herein described is what is commercially termed blown bitumen.

I claim:

1. The process of making elastic packing material. characterized bypreparing a quantity of bituminous compound in a fluid condition,treating fibrous materialwith a substance impervious to the bituminouscompound,incorporating the treated fibrous material in the bituminouscompound, and solidifying the bituminous compound.

. 2. The process of making elastic packing material characterized bypreparing a quantity of bituminous compound in afluid condition, coatingfibrous material with a substance impervious to the bituminous compound,distributing the fibrous material throughout the bituminous compound,and solidifying the bituminous compound.

3. The process of making elastic expansion joints characterized bypreparing a quantity of bituminous compound in a fluid condition,treating fibrous material with sodium silicate to prevent enetration ofthe compound during mixing, incorporating the fibrous material in thebituminous compound, and solidifying the bituminous compound.

4. The process of making elastic expansion joints characterized byheating a quantity of bituminous material to about 215 F., mixingtherewith fibrous material which has been treated with a substance toprevent penetration of Waterproofing material, and molding the mixtureinto strips.

5. An elastic packing compound composed of a mass of bituminous materialand fibrous material incorporated within the mass, said fibrous materialbeing provided with a sub stance to render it impervious to thebituminous material.

6. An elastic expansion joint composed of a mass of bituminous materialand porous fibrous material incorporated within the mass, said fibrousmaterial being enveloped in a thin coating to separate same from thebituminous material.

7 An elastic expansion joint composed of a mass of bituminous materialand porous fibrous material incorporated within the same, said fibrousmaterial being enveloped in a thin coating of sodium silicate to sepa-'rate same from the bituminous material.

8. An expansion joint containing a mass of bituminous material andfibrous material incorporated within the mass, said fibrous materialbeing free from penetration by the bituminous material.

9.' An expansion joint containing a mass of bituminous material andfibrous material incorporated within the mass, said fibrous ma terialbeing unsaturated by the bituminous material.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cook,

State of Illinois, this 17th day of June, 1931.

ALBERT O. FISCHER.

